muehle



B. H.YMUEHLE.

Velocpede.

No. 96,466. Patented.. No'vr- 2, 1869.

rLPETERS, PHOTO-Ln HOGRAPHER, WASNINGTDN. D C4 time one.

BERNARD H. MUEHLE, OF BUFFALO,

NEW i YORKfASSlGNOR TO HIMSELF AND NICHOLAS JONES, OF SAME PLACE. y

Letters Paten-t N 96,466, dated November 2, 1869; aiitcdatml October 30,1869. L

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, Buns/inn IL'llIUininu, ofthe city of Buffalo, countyof Erie, and State of New York, (assigner to inysclt' and NieiionAsJonas, of the saine place,) have invented a certain iieiv and improvedVeloeipede; and 1 do hereby declare that the followingr is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, rel`- ereiice being had tothe.:ili'zconipanying drawings, inakiug a part of this specification, inwhich- Figure I is a side elevation, and

Figure Il is a top plan view. Y

Letters of like naine andkind refer to like parts in each of thefigures.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 have represented a two-wheeledvelocipede, that is to say, a vehicle supported upon two wheels, onebehind the other, and shall so describe the saine, though myimprovements herein set forth and claimed, nia-y also be applied tothree and fourwheeled vclocipedes, with equaladvantage.

A represents the driving-wheel, the axle of which is provided with aei'aiik upon each end, by means of which the ve'locip'ede is propelledby the driver, in the usual manner..

B represents the rear wheel, which-I luse for steering the vehicle.

(l represents the main franie or reach. Its forked ends have bearingsupon the axle of the driving-wheel A, and the opposite end has a socket,into which the king-bolt of the frame b of the steeriug-wlieel Bisiittcd, and within which the same revolves. v

1) represents the drivei"s seat. lt is'attachcd to the end of a forkedi'anie, E, which clasps the driving-wheel.

The ibrkedends of tlie-ii'aiiie E have bearings upon the axle of thedriving-whcel, on each side thereof respectively, like those ofthe inainframe O.

A coil-spring, F, or one or more fiat springs, as`

shown by red 4dotti-,d lines, Fig. l, is interposed between the iiiaiiiframe G :ind the seat-frame E. Upon this spring the scat 'D rests, butwhilethis relieves any shock created by the iiiievciiiiess of the road,the seat will always remain the same distance froiii the axle ofthedriving-wheel, and oscillat-e upon suoli axle as a fulcriiiii, andconcentric with the rini ofthe wheel A.

rlliis feature of iny invention is of great inipoitance, and will beadmitted to be so by all velocipedestrians.

As thle driver sits upon his seat, and, with his feet upon thecrank-pins, revolves the driving-wheel, it is essential that the seatlshould always be at the saine distance froinvthc axle which he isturning with his feet, and the motion of his limbs necessary for thepropulsion of the veloeipede will then always be the saine, renderingthe physical labor inore easy, his inotions niore uniform andconvenient, and the exercise The upper end' of t-lie shaft which`projects in front 1 of the seat 1) is provided with a one or two-armedhand-lever, J, by which means the driver is enabled to turn the shaftwithin its bearings.

As the shaft is revolved iu eitherdirection, the steering-wheel istnrnedcorrespondiiigly, and thereby the direction of t-lie front ordriviiig-wlicel changed, as may be desired. Y

A one-armed lever is shown by red lilies in Fig. l, and stands upright.,oi' nearly so, upon the -lbrwa-rd end ofthe shaft, and may, ofcourse, beoperated with one hand with great convenience and case.

'lho gearing .ll and l' may be. iliade of any convenient and suitablesize or radius, and might be located underneath thc frame C, ifpreferred. v

The upper or forward bearing of the shaft G, upon the seat-frame, iscomposed of a ring, ainl loca-ted opposite, or nearly so, to a point inthe periphery of the driving-wheel, wliei'e. a line, drawn paralhfl tothe centre of the shalt G, would strike said periphery, so'

that, as the seat rises or falls upon the spring l", the shaft shallnotbind in its upper hearing.

Instead of one wheel being used for steering the vehicle, two wheels, B,might be attached to one shaft, :unl connected to the frame (1.

lhis would insure greater stability, and alleviate the dilliculty ofkeeping the balance, which, in the two-wheeled veloeipedes, requires agi'cat amount of skill.

li represents a spring, one end of which is attached tothe segment I, ora separate lever or tillcr, eon

neeted to the frame b, of the steering-whcel 1i, and the other end to ahook upon the main faiiie oi: reach C.

lhis is for the. purpose of retaining the steeringwheel always in linewith the other wheel or wheels ofthe velocipede, without the hand-leverbeing touched by the driver, and whenever the latter has turned thesteering-wheel froni such stra-ight line of motion, in order .to -steerthe vehicle, and has guided the drivingwlieel before liini in thedirection hefwishes to proceed, all he has to de is to let go of thelever J, and the steering-wheel will of itself return to its former,position in line with the other wheel or wheels.

The advantage gained by this device will'be easily understood, for it isobvious that if 'a veloeipede can he guided with less manipulation ofits partsythe use thereof will be rendered more convenient and pleasant.i

L represents'a brush, which is attached tothe under side ofthe frame orreach C, and in contact with the rim of the wheel A, for the purpose ofremoving dirt, dust, and mnd from said riln, before it can collie iucontact with the clothes ofthe veloeipedestrian.

There may be one or more brushes applied in like manner to one or allthe wheels of the veloeipede, at sueh points where they may be mosteffective in preventing the dirt i'oru being thrown upon the clothes ofthe person riding the veloeipede.

M represents a brake, which is applied to the seat- 'fraine E, iu front,and withih reach of the driver. It

aids, fi'ame E, spring K, and steerilig-apparatus, seat D, and springl", substantially as und for the purpose described.

B. 1I. MUEHLF.

Witnesses: v

J OHN V. STUMPF, HENRY GULING.

